Publication: Garden Guides
A Lawn in a Day | |
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GardenGuides Newsletter
May 23, 2006
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Comment The Post Below...
When should you prune?
[From www.my-garden-supplies.com]
* Fruit trees: Prune in late winter or early spring before
any buds begin to swell. Remove branches that are growing
inward and all new sucker growth or limbs that are growing
straight up. Sterilize pruners before switching to another
tree to prevent spreading disease.
* Roses: Be sure to wear gloves when pruning roses! By late
winter or very eary spring, all old shoots should be removed
along with any very thin or spindly growth. Remove the canes
that grow inward and leave anywhere from four to eight
healthy canes. These can them be cut down to about 24 inches
above the ground. Try to cut about an inch above a bud or
strong shoot.
* Deciduous trees: Pruning for proper growth is not usually
necessary however if your trees require shaping, this should
be done in middle to late winter. Flowering type deciduous
trees, such as a Dogwood, may be pruned lightly after flower-
ing.
* Deciduous Shrubs: These should be pruned following flower-
ing in the spring. Cut out any long or gangly branches and
leave the limbs that lend to a pleasing overall shape.
* Evergreen trees: These do not generally require pruning
unless they make up a hedge and pruning is necessary for
shaping. The best time to prune is after the vigorous growth
in the spring and early summer otherwise your pruning will
be overgrown in a matter of weeks.
* Evergreen shrubs: Prune after late winter or early spring,
generally after the shrub has produced cones or berries.
* Berry bushes: Prune in late fall or early winter after
the last of the berries have been harvested. Remove dead
branches and to keep shape, severe pruning is not recommend-
ed.
* Red Raspberries: Cut back all older (darker) canes in the
late fall or early spring, leaving the younger green shoots
or suckers to grow and produce fruit the following spring.
Black raspberries do not sucker and will fruit on the older
wood.
* Grapes: Cut back in late fall after harvesting. European
varieties require spur pruning. Train long branches as
guides and then allow shoots or spurs from these guide
branches to keep two buds each. The American variety, such
as Concord, Delaware or Niagara, need cane pruning. So cut
back all the long arms or canes so that each branch is just
long enough to have about 9 or more buds.
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A Lawn in a Day
by Marion Lyons
Don't despair if you've just moved into a new home that has
compacted subsoil where a front lawn should be or if your
old lawn looks like a worn-out rug. The time and effort
required to create a lush green lawn are probably less than
you think. How? By laying sod.
Speed, Selection, and Easy Maintenance
Sod's big advantage over seed is speed. From soil preparation
to final layout, it's possible to install a modest-sized sod
lawn in one day. That's an appealing thought: dust and weeds
in the morning and a green lawn in the evening! Sod has other
features to recommend it, too.
Sure Selection
If you buy sod from a reputable local grower, you are
guaranteed to get a grass that grows well in your area. The
grower may offer several choices, from low to high mainten-
ance, for instance. Also, some improved varieties, such as
'Tifgreen' Bermuda, are available only as sod.
Convenience
You can lay sod at almost any time of year, even when the
ground is slightly frozen or during the heat of summer
(although you'll need to water more in summer). In compar-
ison, only spring and fall offer sufficiently favorable
conditions for sowing most seed lawns, although late spring
is good for seeding heat-lovers such as Bermuda and buffalo
grasses.
Smooth Start
Yes, you'll have to baby a new sod lawn for a couple of
weeks, but that's far less time and effort than for a seeded
lawn. Until new sod establishes roots in the soil, it needs
watering twice a day, and sometimes more often, during hot
weather. In comparison, keeping a newly seeded lawn moist
may require a dozen waterings a day.
Continued...
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Fewer Weeds
New sod lawns suffer only slightly from weed invasions. Most
soils contain many weed seeds that are just waiting for the
opportunity to grow, and right after you prepare and amend
soil, sow grass seed, and provide water, weed-growth
conditions are perfect. Unless you've taken steps to elimi-
nate or reduce weed seeds in the soil before planting, weeds
may overrun a seeded lawn.
Special Uses for Sod
Sod is especially useful where patches of lawn have become
bare, weedy, or damaged. Winter use of street salt in north-
ern regions is one major cause of damage. After removing the
threadbare turf and preparing the soil for planting, you can
buy a roll or two of sod at a garden center and place it
over the area. Again, a seeded lawn would take several weeks
to fill in and look lush.
If erosion is a problem on a slope, no matter how gentle or
steep the incline, sod is the better option. Its healthy,
heavy root mat will withstand water runoff even before the
lawn is fully established.
Where to Buy Sod
Especially in big cities, retail nurseries or landscape
contractors are the best sources of sod. In some regions,
homeowners can buy directly from a sod farm. Find suppliers
in the yellow pages under "Sod" or "Sod & Sodding Service."
Or ask your garden center for a recommendation.
Tell your dealer or sod farmer about the growing conditions
at your site, such as heavy clay or sandy soil, and the
amount and kind of shade or slope. Given extra site inform-
ation, sod growers can usually provide useful advice to
help you avoid mistakes in either the choice of lawn type
or installation.
Continued...
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What's the Cost? Save by Installing Sod Yourself
Sod is sold by the square foot or square yard (9 square
feet equal 1 square yard). Plan to pay about 15 to 35 cents
per square foot for sod only; professional installation will
add 30 to 50 percent to the cost.
Bluegrass and hybrid Bermuda grass are usually the cheapest
because they're sold in the greatest quantities. The most
expensive sods are slow-growing, specialty types like
buffalo grass, which runs about 45 cents per square foot,
and bent, which costs about $1.10 per square foot. Many of
those grasses are sold for golf courses or sports fields,
not residential lawns. Generally, growers are very
competitive and sell the same grasses for about the same
price so shop around for the best quality and the best
prices for your area, especially if you're buying from a
retail dealer that marks up the price.
When and How to Plant a Sod Lawn
Sod is heavy. One square foot of it weighs about 4 1/2 to
5 1/2 pounds, or more than 2 tons for a 1,000-square-foot
lawn. Depending upon the size of your lawn, arrange for
helpers, if only to help you lay the sod promptly.
Especially during hot weather, moving the sod quickly from
the delivery pallet to the lawn site so that it doesn't dry
out or begin to biodegrade is important.
Before you buy the sod, till the soil 4 to 6 inches deep.
Remove all debris and large rocks. Have the soil tested by
a county extension office or a private testing service. Add
any amendments the soil test recommends: Organic matter such
as composted fir or pine bark and fertilizer are typical;
other amendments such as limestone (in the East) or soil
sulfur (in the West) may also be necessary. Grade and level
the area to smooth the surface.
In areas where summer droughts commonly occur, you may have
to install a permanent underground sprinkler system before
laying the sod. You can always water the lawn with portable,
aboveground sprinklers, but an underground system is usual-
ly much more efficient and convenient.
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GopherCentral's Question of the Week
Should the Mexican government pay healthcare costs for the
11 million illegal immigrants from Mexico?
Question of the Week
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